ABBA, The Swedish Pop Sensation

Swedish pop group ABBA was a rage in the seventies and songs composed and sung by them could he heard everywhere, from discotheques and night clubs to beach parties and weddings. Their catchy tunes and captivating lyrics appealed to people of all ages and their songs were constantly aired on all radio and television music channels. Swedes, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog made up this famous quartet and the name of their group is an acronym of the first letters of each one’s names. Winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with a foot-stomping rendition of “Waterloo” was just the beginning of a singing career that took the world by storm.  Their popularity continued to rise unabated with a string of stupendously successful hits including “Mamma Mia”, “S.O.S” and “Honey, Honey”. By now ABBA fever had reached all corners of the globe and their songs featured in the top ten charts of almost all countries including Australia. March 1976 saw a release of a compilation of “Greatest Hits” of ABBA, which included the song “Fernando”. The album quickly rose to the top of the charts in the UK and “Fernando” went on to become one of ABBA’s most popular and best-known tracks ever. This was the album that finally gave them a breakthrough in the US album charts where it stormed into the Top 50 and sold more than one million copies. “Arrival” was the band’s next album and it took them to even greater heights. Songs from the album included the mega-hits “Dancing Queen”, “Knowing me, Knowing you” and “Money, Money, Money”, which rose to the to of the charts and stayed there with no signs of coming down for a long time. Hit after hit followed with “Voulez-Vous”, “Chiquitita”, “I Have a Dream”, “Take a Chance on Me”, “The Winner Takes it All” and the group’s signature tune “Thank You for the Music”. ABBA’s  songs have stood the test of time and thirty years later are still heard on radio and television stations all over the world.